by Pruden,D. M.
“You wouldn’t happen to know how Dunn controlled the Fortuna, would you?”
I mentally kicked myself the moment I said it and determined I would come up with an excuse for the stupid question.
“Yes, why?”
My head shot up and I straightened, staring into his eyes for even the smallest hint he might be bullshitting me. My gaze was met by his bewilderment at my nonsensical query.
“Because-Dunn’s-dead-and-we-need-it-to-keep-from-being-blown-up-in-less-than-thirty-minutes.”
“Wait. What? Slow down.”
I pulled him to his feet and explained our situation. He listened to me while bent with vertigo. He nodded and stood straighter. “I saw the control unit in his quarters when I searched them.”
I dragged him out of the medical centre. It took him a few steps before he extracted his arm from my grip. He leant against a bulkhead and steadied himself while he waved me off.
“I’m good.”
He powered himself forward and weaved down the hallway, not looking to see if I would follow.
I took a last lingering look at the bloody mass that used to be Erik Dunn and then, satisfied he could do us no more harm, followed Hodgson.
Chapter 44
I checked my chronometer. Twenty-two minutes remained before the missiles were going to blow us into a cloud of debris orbiting the sun. By the time I caught up with him, Hodgson had broken into Dunn’s quarters. He went straight to the bureau and pulled open the top drawer.
“Shit!”
He began hurling clothing over his shoulder.
“What?”
“It isn’t here!” He yanked the next one out and emptied the contents on the floor.
Not waiting to be told the obvious, I scanned the room for any clue to where the remote control device might be. I opened the closet and threw everything into the middle of the room. I banged on the wall looking for any kind of hidden panel.
We had to find it. There was no way I was going to let that son-of-a-bitch reach back and kill us from the grave.
In an orgy of destruction, we violated every drawer and overturned every container and piece of furniture.
I found a knife and cut the mattress and pillows.
Fifteen-minutes.
Hodgson tore the grating off the air duct and boosted me up to dig around inside.
Twelve-minutes.
He pulled the chair into the centre of the room to stand on and began ripping apart the light fixtures. When he yanked the panels from the ceiling I watched and wondered why Dunn would have hidden the fucking thing so well? Wouldn’t he need to access the damned thing quickly?
I took another quick scan around the room and then went to search the water closet. There, sitting beside the toilet on the floor lay the control panel. The asshole last used it while he took a shit.
“Found it!” I yelled.
Hodgson almost ran into me at the doorway. He grabbed the device out of my hands and powered it up, his military experience must have emboldened him to press buttons with confidence that I would have never felt.
“I can’t establish a signal lock. Something is interfering.”
“The Sun! It’s been jamming up communications. Limn used some kind of old style laser signalling device to cut through the interference.”
I hardly finished my sentence before Hodgson sprinted out of the door and down the corridor towards the bridge.
Out of breath, I caught up with him as he struggled with the door. I explained to him what happened and he located the access switch to release the lock. With no reason to fear the virus, we opened it and rushed in.
Hodgson only paused for a second to take in the bloody mess that used to be Garrick. He pushed his corpse from the communications console and plugged Dunn’s device into the interface.
Five-minutes.
I hoped we wouldn’t take too long to get Fortuna’s weapons systems online. I looked over at the barely recognizable remains of Shigeko, lying in foetal position in the corner. A wave of sorrow hit, but in that moment, I couldn’t tell if I grieved for her or for us.
“Fuck!” Hodgson slammed his fists on the desk, in almost the same way as Garrick. He stared at me with disbelief on his face.
“I need a passcode.”
I rushed to the console to see large numbers flashing in a countdown on the remote device.
...7...6...5...4...
Dunn taunted me from the grave.
...3...2...1...0
A blinding flash that outshone the sun bloomed outside the window. A white light enveloped the bridge as the Fortuna self destructed in the fire of a dozen exploding warheads.
I checked my chronometer.
Three-minutes.
Victorem’s missiles were still on the way. Fortuna provided a preview of our own end.
Chapter 45
Hodgson slumped in the command chair and I sat on the floor and hugged my knees to my chest next to Shigeko. Numbness rapidly spread through me. I couldn’t think of who I ever screwed over for this kind of karma. Possibly I was being punished for hating my mother. You’re supposed to love your mother. Everybody knew that.
The universe laughed at me for daring to think I deserved redemption. Born a worthless pile of shit, it took me this long to truly accept it. I’d once worn the glass slippers and kissed the prince, but I would never reside in the palace. That fairy tale belonged to somebody else. In the last three minutes of my pathetic existence, I finally understood and it stung.
All my life I believed I needed to buy respect; to pay for the right to eat or even live. First with my body, then later with my brain, life didn’t give without taking. There was a price to stay alive and I was out of credits. The Grim Reaper was coming in a couple of minutes to repossess my soul, and he was the one honest guy who wasn’t buying anything I was selling. Even if he could be bought, I had nothing left.
Or didn’t I? An idea started to form. A crazy, last ditch, hail Mary. Perhaps I didn’t need to try bribing the Reaper. Maybe one person remained who would be interested in what I could sell him.
Two-minutes.
I recalled how Shigeko sent the message to the Victorem and pressed the same sequence on the comm panel. Hodgson gave me a puzzled look. I took his hand in mine and sat in the chair next to him.
“Hey there. You guys shooting at us.” I spoke into the mic without trying to hide my nerves.
“Listen, I don’t even know if I turned this thing on properly. If I’m not just talking to myself, I have something you might want to hear.
“My name is Doctor Melanie Destin. I’m the one your boys tricked into coming to work for you. Sorry for being so honest, but the way I see it I don’t have the time or desire to tell you anything but the truth.
“So here it is. You are about to blow up a ship full of dead people.
“You need to understand your man Dunn sold you out. He planned to steal the virus for himself and leave you with nothing to show for all your effort, but I suppose you already figured that out, since you shot a bunch of missiles at us.
“Anyway, the reason he and everyone else onboard is dead is because the nano-virus got released and killed them all, including Dunn.
“Now, you may be wondering if everyone is supposed to be dead, how am I talking to you? The answer, though difficult to believe, is simple; I’m still alive because I have the anti-virus for this thing running through my veins.
“Now, I know this nano-weapon was valuable enough to you to kill for. How much are the virus AND its antigen worth to you? If you let those missiles blow us up in the next,” I checked my chronometer, “thirty-seconds, you’ll never find out. It’s all up to you, boys.”
I left the channel open and moved to sit on Hodgson’s lap. I kissed him on the lips and he returned it. Not a passionate, I-wanna-fuck-your-brains-out kiss, but a simple one that said, ‘I love you.’
The window was suddenly filled with a succession of bright flashing lights as the Victorem’s miss
iles self-destructed. I decided to imagine them as fireworks and kissed Hodgson again.
Chapter 46
An hour and a bit later, Hodgson and I stood in our pressure suits in front of the closed hangar entrance.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked while fitting a harness over my space suit.
“No.”
“I didn’t think so.” He handed me one to put on him. We hooked them by short tethers to the emergency hand holds along the corridor walls.
“Are you sure about this, Mel?”
“We’ve been over this. The hangar is the only place on the ship that hasn’t been exposed.”
“Yeah, but a rapid depressurization is pretty drastic. A lot can go wrong.”
“We’ve been contaminated with a virus, shot at by two different ships and you almost died. I don’t think this belongs on the list of things that can ruin our day.”
He chuckled.
“Besides, it’s the only way I can think of that will vent most of the airborne nanites into space,” I said.
“Most?”
I smiled at him, but I didn’t think he could see my face through the visor. “Just turn off the gravity, big guy.”
Hodgson accessed the control panel on the arm of his suit. He’d rigged a remote link with the ship’s engineering and environmental functions. At the press of a button, the field released its hold of us and I floated off the floor. I felt a slight pull as the tether held me in place.
He then set off the explosive release bolts on the exterior hatchway closest to our location on the ship. I heard a faint pop, followed by the rumble of air rushing past my helmet. My whole body jerked a few centimetres towards the breach, restrained by the same tether.
Seconds later, all sound died away and I could only hear Hodgson’s breathing over the open comm. He confirmed that this section was in a vacuum and we repeated the venting operation on the other side of the hangar doors.
We worked out the details of our escape while we approached the flyby with the Rego vessel. The window was tight and we wouldn’t be able to dock the two rapidly passing ships. Our only avenue was to launch the drop ship.
With the gravity field restored, we boarded the shuttle. While Hodgson prepped it for departure and laid in the docking maneuver with Victorem, I did a once over of the containment unit with the secured virus samples safely inside.
“This would be a lot easier if I didn’t need this bulky space suit,” I said.
“Like you said, best to keep everything in a vacuum. Anyway, the suits give us an extra layer of protection. Even at the higher flyby orbit, it’s still pretty deadly out there.”
“Maybe the radiation will fry any loose nanite that we may have tracked in.”
“Maybe. It won’t matter, though, if our timing is off. We only have one shot at this. If we miss our link up, we’ll be cooked. This little ship can’t take too much.”
“Are you always so gloomy? After everything we’ve been through, I think the universe owes us one. Don’t you?”
He didn’t say anything, but I knew he smiled.
♢♢♢
Despite Hodgson’s concerns, the maneuver and docking went flawlessly according to plan. The only event that wasn’t on the programme was the destruction of our ship. As we entered the massive hangar of Victorem I looked at the aft monitor to see Helios explode in a brilliant flash like the Fortuna. It seemed our rescuers didn’t want anyone else recovering a sample of the virus. I thought that a good idea, myself.
The next thirty days became a routine. Confined to our dropship, once a day two technicians in pressure suits approached and took bio-scans of the hull. We supplied interior scans three times a day to our hosts. They were gracious enough to connect us to power and air, and we had enough emergency rations to stay comfortable, but after that length of time, the smell inside our little cell started to become ripe.
On day thirty-one they pressurized the hangar and we were escorted to individual cabins. I couldn’t believe the luxurious quarters they gave me and spent over an hour in the hot shower. When I emerged, I discovered that someone laid out a tasteful dinner dress for me on the bed, along with an engraved invitation to dine with our host.
I had a strange uneasiness about meeting with the person I talked into rescuing us. To this point, none of my claims were questioned, but I knew the time approached when I would be compelled to hold up my end of the bargain and let them poke and prod me for the anti-virus.
I had no problem with them taking as many samples as they needed. I worried, however, that they might want more of me than just samples. This was the same corporation that manipulated me into working for them.
♢♢♢
Like the other rooms I’d seen, the Victorem’s dining room appointments were more suitable for a luxury liner than a warship. I got the impression that we weren’t dealing with middle management types anymore.
“I don’t trust them,” I whispered to Hodgson who joined me at the table. Our host had yet to arrive.
“That’s probably wise. Do us both a favour and follow my lead.”
I frowned at his comment. “I got us here, didn’t I?”
“Yes, for which I will be eternally grateful, but at this point, you’re operating out of your league.”
I glared at him and my voice rose to a stage whisper. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
He didn’t respond but nodded towards the door and stood as a man entered the room. I composed myself and rose as well.
His slight stature surprised me. I suppose I expected somebody in command of a ship like this to be built more like Hodgson. He wore a dark business suit and carried himself as a man who was comfortable holding authority.
“Good evening. I am Felix Altius.” He motioned for us to sit while he took his place opposite us.
He was half a head taller than I and very slight of build. I could have picked him up. Except for his strange, milky blue eyes, his features were Mediterranean. He moved with a slightly effeminate grace, but his voice had a masculine and calming tone to it. I thought him to be charming.
We were treated to a lavishly prepared meal, and I’m afraid I ate far too much, having survived on emergency ration packs for the previous thirty-one days. Hodgson displayed a less vigorous appetite, choosing to mostly pick at and sample the contents of his plate. I wondered if he suspected the food to be poisoned until I noticed Altius eating from the same serving trays. Perhaps the ex-soldier preferred emergency rations.
When the plates were cleared, Altius wasted no time.
“Doctor Destin, I believe you understand that we must verify the claim you made over your transmission?”
He smiled pleasantly with his whole face, giving me the impression of an amicable old auntie who would not hesitate to slap me up the side of the head if I didn’t live up to expectations.
“Naturally, Mister Altius, I would be pleased to submit myself for tests.”
“Excellent.” He continued to smile. “Would you be averse to beginning in the morning?”
“I’m more than eager, Sir.”
“But before we get too carried away,” interrupted Hodgson, “we need to establish the terms around the submission of samples.”
Altius was as surprised as I.
“I beg your pardon? What exactly is your stake in all this, Mister Hodgson?”
“I have a prior claim to Doctor Destin. I am returning her to Mars under my protection.”
Altius’ smile slackened. He took a sip of wine while he regarded Hodgson in a new light.
“Why should that be of concern to us?”
“Because of your arrangements with certain parties on Mars. You’ve had thirty-one days to confirm my identity, Mister Altius. I’m sure you’ve discovered who I am and, more importantly, who I work for.”
“Indeed.” His smile gone, he placed his wine goblet firmly down. “I’m curious to learn why you think there are arrangements between Mars and ourselves.”
; I was curious too. What the hell was Hodgson doing? Trying to get us spaced? I kicked him discretely, but he ignored me.
“First, if you had any intentions of dealing with Terra, that opportunity existed while Athena was still in range. Second, given your escape velocity from the sun and the time we’ve been in transit, we passed the Terran and Lunar jurisdictions about ten days ago, suggesting you are en route to Mars. Third, as you are aware, I am a spy.”
Hodgson smiled like a little boy who outsmarted the teacher. He leaned back in his chair and took a drink from his own goblet.
Altius stared at him, clearly weighing every point laid out before him. I began to compose something to say to salvage the situation when Altius again smiled and relaxed. He leaned forward on his elbows.
“What terms were you thinking of?”
“Nothing elaborate. Only that you limit yourselves to less than 500 millilitres of blood and five, non-life threatening internal tissue samples.”
“Is that all? Anything else?”
“Oh, and Doctor Destin must be allowed to live and accompany me to Mars.”
I thought Hodgson’s last demand paranoid and wanted to tell him so, but the longer Altius considered the terms without responding, the more I appreciated how much I underestimated the danger I was in.
Altius abruptly stood and offered his hand to Hodgson. “Agreed.”
He then shook my hand. “The medical technicians will escort you both to the lab tomorrow. I understand it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes of your time.”
Halfway to the door, he turned back and said, “We will be arriving at Mars in two days. Is there a particular docking station you wish us to drop you at?”
Hodgson smiled. “I’ll let you know.”
Altius left and the room was eerily quiet until I finally spoke. “How the fuck did you know they didn’t intend to let me live?”
